This book is about the kingdom of Sheba in 1500 BC. It talks about how beautiful the city was and that the people felt safe because of the Royal family. Talks about princess makeda learning about how to be a good Queen how to be a warrior. It tells how she became Queen and the struggles that she faced. Afterward it talks about the difference between what is real and what's not with the Queen of Sheba.
I thought it was a very good story I don't remember ever reading before. I love that I'm able to find these stories to share with my kids so they're not just hearing the same stories they're getting to learn about different cultures.

This was a great read! Thank you Netgalley!

I love the art/illustration in this book so much and it just gave the book so much life.

I found the story very feminist! Where men failed and men diminished her efforts, Makeda shone and let everyone know that she wasn't to be underestimated.

She made mistakes and learnt from them along the way. I love the representation of family and society.

I highly recommend this.

I received an eARC copy from Conscious Culture Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


The Queen of Sheba has been an inspiration for many centuries to many artists. During the Italian Renaissance (talking about the period XIV-XVII century here), she appeared on the Florence Baptistery's bronze doors made by Lorenzo Ghiberti, in frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli in Pisa and the Raphael Loggie in the Vatican. Even earlier, in the XII century, sculptures of the Queen of Sheba were used to decorate great Gothic cathedrals such as Chartres, Rheims, Amiens, and Wells. Many movies and TV series were filmed about her, operas and ballets composed. She is also a part of Biblical narratives, mentioned in Christian scriptures, Coptic legends, Ethiopian national saga; Jewish literature and the Quran also share the story of the Queen of Sheba that has similarities with the Bible. Her story spreads through many centuries, many countries, many continents. 


The outstandingly written and illustrated storybook pictures Makeda and her becoming the Queen of Sheba. With her strength, faith, dedication, wits, and love for her people, Makeda managed to defeat the Serpent King, a terrible beast who killed her father, King Agabos, and brought mayhem to the kingdom and rise to be the queen and the protector of her nation. 


The 3D-feel illustrations, with their bright and bold colours, are a delight to look at; I simply know that many parents and children will love and read this mythical story countless times. This brave young black woman instils beliefs of courage, women's empowerment, equality, and anti-racism, and we need more of these inspiring stories.

This book, aimed at a younger audience than I represent, was gorgeously-illustrated with a nice 3-D effect to the pictures - where the background, for example, was a little out of focus, drawing attention to the main elements of the scene.

I don't see that it has much to do with the actual queen of Sheba, who, if she exited, may have come from Saba in Yemen rather than Ethiopia, or perhaps from further south in Africa. The name 'Makeda' is from an ancient term meaning 'high official', and isn't an actual person's name, but it's a fun choice to go with.

Regardless, the author takes that mythology and runs with it in interesting and entertaining directions. It's definitely a strong-female character story and I'm all for those after reading - or trying to read - far too many young adult stories where the female author seems determined to neuter her main female character for reasons which escape me.

Makeda is the daughter of King Agabos and Queen Ismenie, and when he dies - too young - she is next in line. When her mother proves too upset to rule as a regent, Makeda is forced to step up, and she realizes that it's a tough job. She makes mistakes, but in the end she takes responsibility to fix the scary and deadly problem facing her queendom.

I loved the art and the story, and I enjoyed seeing a young woman refuse to take a back seat, and instead, take the reins. I fully commend this as a worthy read, and would definitely read more of this author's work.

this was a great comic book, I loved the art and the storyline in it. The writing was well done and had interesting and real characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I think the reason why I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would is because of the art style. It is by no means bad, but for some reason it was really distracting for me while reading, since it looks so much like CGI. I understand how much time it takes to create 3D looking art like this, but once I noticed how many of the background characters were copied and pasted over and over (especially their faces), I couldn’t unsee it.

I also thought this book was going to be an overview of Makeda’s life and legacy, but it was centered specifically around one legend/myth.

(I had an issue with the formatting and the placement of the words in conjunction with the illustrations, but that could just be how the eARC read on my phone. It could be different in the physical version.)

Very little has been written about the Queen of Sheba so this was a treat to read. It is an easy for kids and inspiring for little girls. The research was done well and story was well-written.

Thank you #NetGalley and Conscious Culture Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

On one hand, I'm in favor of books featuring powerful women. Stories of girls who rise up to meet the demands of a people. So I wanted to like this book and the plot is decent. The line by line writing is a bit stiff. And I don't love the illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I think the Kindle version I received had major page numbering errors, as the pages were all over the place and the sequence did not make sense. The computer generated images are colorful and beautiful. I love that this book features a strong African woman, but I wish the research was more rigorous or explained. I would include this book in my classroom.

I had heard about the queen of Sheba, but never really knew the story and WOW! I loved it! This book, an illustrated story about the queen of Sheba and how she came to power, was short, but very entertaining the entire time. I loved the art style that was used in here. It almost looked like a video game. Which by the way this story would make an awesome video game, just saying. Considering how short it was I felt a lot of emotion and power from this book, more than some full novels are even able to convey. Makeda, is a beautiful, strong, and powerful woman and is someone I think everyone should know about. She's especially someone for young girls to look up to and aspire to be. Please read this if you have the chance! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

In the 1500 BC the Kingdom of Sheba is flourishing and prospering under the leadership of King Agabos and Queen Ismenie and their daughter Makada.

Makada being the only child is trained by her father with the 9 laws of leadership;
Family
Respect
Responsibility
Belief
Education
Action
Creativity
Communication
Resilience

8 years after, the Kingdom of Sheba is put at risk when the venomous snake Arwe attacks and terrorises the kingdom.

Makada is put to the task to prove her loyalty and dedication to her Kingdom when her father dies at the jaws of Arwe.

With doubt from her mother the queen, and the general Amari, surrounding Makada, she battles to find her courage and confidence in the 9 laws of leadership.

Makeda: The Queen of Sheba
by Marlon McKenney
Pub Date 06 Sep 2021
Conscious Culture Publishing
Children's Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | History


I am reviewing a copy of Makeda: The Queen of Sheba through Conscious Culture Publishing and Netgalley:




Princess Makeda was born into a loving royal family but when her father, King Agabos, unexpectedly dies, the lives of Makeda and her mother, Queen Ismenie, are turned upside-down. Both grief stricken and angry for vengeance Makeda uses her intelligence and resiliency to navigate through a a toxic, male-dominated hierarchy. Despite the odds stacked against her and having her back against the wall, Makeda embarks on the deadliest mission of her life to restore honor and safety to the Kingdom of Sheba.





Makeda: The Queen of Sheba is a beautifully written and illustrated for both grade school children as well as fans of afrocentric anime, comics, and graphic novels. If you are looking for a book with a strong and powerful black female hero, then you will love this ancient tale of courage and redemption.





I give Makeda: The Queen of Sheba five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

A illustrated storybook about how the Princess of Sheba became the Queen of Sheba based on African folklore. The author, Marlon McKinney, wrote this when he saw their weren't many stories about powerful black women. He wanted to put more stories out there for girls like his daughter to be inspired by.

I liked the idea of this comic, just not the execution. The idea for more stories of Black Women empowerment is something I love to see. However, the actual story was lack luster and fell flat. The pacing was off and there was no emotional connection. I also did not like the video game style of art.

I was provided a free copy of this from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I spent three years in Ethiopia while in high school, so I was excited to see this one available!
This was a fun read. It was a mixture of real historical figures and Ethiopian legend. It is a great story about a strong girl who learns how to become a warrior and a Queen!
I loved the lesson that even though her first idea to defeat the beast didn't succeed, she didn't give up and ultimately (spoiler! 😉) was able to conquer the beast! The illustrations are gorgeous! This was a fun book!
It is scheduled to be published 6 September, so put it on your list of books to get soon!
#WeNeedDiverseBooks #NetGalley

This is a pretty cute story, i love it. The art is amazing so i cant wait to get this one on my bookshelf

This was an exciting story for young readers all about how Makeda becomes the Queen of Sheba. It is a simple read for children and I liked that the author included a little note about the fact vs. fiction of the Queen of Sheba. I can see this book being a starting point for young historians wanting to learn more about important historical figures.

I did not give this book a perfect 5/5 rating because I found the computer rendered art a little bit strange.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is an amazing graphic novel of a black princess coming into being a queen. How this is achieved is by following the 9 laws of leadership. A powerful message to guide young ones that they can see themselves in a book and that they are someone of importance as well.

This book had some of the most beautiful artwork I've ever seen! It was so stunning and life-like. I think it would catch anyone's eye.

I downloaded the book through Kindle and it seemed to have some major formatting issues. The story appeared completely out of order. The "about the author" section appeared in the middle of the book and every page was cut into two, irrespective of whether it was in the middle of story or image. I think I could have followed it better if not for this problem, but I still enjoyed the book. I just think it would be best read in print format and not electronic.

I was excited for this when I requested it from Netgalley, but it fell so flat. The storytelling was so choppy. No artistry in the words. The art looked like a videogame and not a book.